Avianca LifeMiles is a quirky frequent flyer program from a Colombian airline that has spotty and shoddy customer service, low mileage rates, and is one of the best ways to book flights with Star Alliance airlines, especially in business and first class, but some of those suite points have taken a bit of a beating.
One Mile at a Time has warned that many LifeMiles redemptions to Europe, Asia, and other locations have seen nasty overnight award rates increase: To make matters worse, LifeMiles appears to have implemented some sort of distance-based pricing that will result in higher award rates on many of its long-haul flights, but oddly, not in all cabins.
Painful price increases include:
Economy class tickets to Europe on partner airlines such as Lufthansa, United and Swiss International Air Lines have increased in price from 30,000 to 35,000 miles one way for short-haul flights from the East Coast, and up to 43,000 miles for long-haul flights. Business class tickets to Europe on the same airlines have jumped from 63,000 to 70,000 miles one way, a relatively modest 11% increase. First class award tickets such as Lufthansa First Class between the U.S. and Germany have jumped from 87,000 to 142,000 miles one way, a massive increase of more than 63%. Premium cabin award tickets such as ANA First Class to Japan have also increased in price by more than 33%.
We are still reviewing the cases to see the extent of this decline in value, but it will be significant and painful.
Despite its many pitfalls, travelers are turning to LifeMiles because it offers an unmatched combination of affordable reward rates without hefty fees or surcharges. Plus, LifeMiles are getting easier to accumulate every year. LifeMiles is currently an Amex transfer partner, a Capital One transfer partner, and a Citi transfer partner. That means you can earn all the miles you need by pooling points from cards like the Amex Gold and Venture x.
Many of the best rewards now cost far more points, and it's part of a broader trend: Airlines have been hiking award rates at a frenzy lately, from Virgin Atlantic finally eliminating its 50,000-point Delta One flights to Europe, to big price hikes for ANA Mileage Club and Turkey Miles & Smiles, to even bigger hikes for using British Airways Avios to fly domestically on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
Read more: Tired of your points and miles losing value? Your bank is to blame
Just a few days ago, a business class flight on Turkish Airlines from Los Angeles (LAX) to Istanbul (IST) cost 63,000 miles. Today it costs 70,000 miles. And even if you go back to economy class, it's still a steep price increase of 43,000 miles one way.
But it's Lufthansa first-class bookings that will be hit the hardest: LifeMiles has long been a reliable way to book last-minute seats to Frankfurt (FRA) or Munich (MUC) for just 87,000 miles one-way, but that number has increased significantly, making the damage even worse on longer-haul flights.
Flying on Lufthansa First Airlines from Boston (BOS) to Frankfurt (FRA) will cost you 130,000 miles one way.
But from Chicago O'Hare (ORD), the price jumps to 136,000 miles one way. Economy seats also see a slight increase, but not Lufthansa's business class, which remains steady at 70,000 miles one way.
Then, starting from San Francisco (SFO), you'll need to pay 142,000 Lifemiles for a Lufthansa first class ticket to Germany, a 63% overnight price increase.
And the pain is spreading across the Pacific: A first-class seat on ANA has jumped from 90,000 SkyMiles one-way to 120,000 SkyMiles, a 33% increase. It's not immediately clear whether ANA business-class fares have increased as well.
It was worth the hassle of dealing with LifeMiles to get the incredibly good deal, but after multiple price increases, redeeming points through Air Canada Aeroplan instead to get the same flight is a much better option.
But some other great perks remain unchanged, at least for now, like the fact that you can still book business class on Air New Zealand between Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Auckland (AKL) for 80,000 LifeMiles one-way.
But one thing you can definitely count on with LifeMiles is the quirky loopholes and one-time discounts that let you book certain routes for less than advertised. That hasn't changed.
For example, SWISS Business Class from New York (JFK) to Geneva (GVA) can be booked for just 60,000 miles one way – never mind the fact that a direct flight from New York to Zurich (ZRH) costs 70,000 miles one way – and Economy Class on the same route to Geneva is also cheaper than the other classes.
One of the best LifeMiles perks is that you can book a flight from New York (JFK) to Lisbon (LIS) in business class on TAP Air Portugal for just 35,000 miles, just 5,000 more than an economy seat. Flights departing from nearby Newark (EWR) and even a return flight from Lisbon back to New York cost almost twice as many miles.
Unfortunately, there are simply no award ticket openings available to book to determine if this amazing award trip has panned out.
But some new opportunities are emerging: While most other business class flights across the Atlantic currently cost 70,000 miles one way, United Polaris business class can currently be booked from Newark (EWR) to London Heathrow (LHR) for just 45,000 miles, with economy class on the same route costing significantly less at 22,500 miles one way.
And another rule of using LifeMiles remains the same: A mixed-class award, such as booking one segment in business class and the second in economy, can shave thousands of miles off the final price. So, a nonstop first-class Lufthansa ticket from Boston (BOS) to Munich (MUC) currently costs 130,000 miles, but adding a business-class connection to Athens (ATH) actually saves you 127,800 miles.
Conclusion
This is the latest major devaluation we've seen in frequent flyer programs in recent months, and it's ugly.
LifeMiles is one of the best ways to book Star Alliance flights around the world, especially when booking business or first class seats. It was worth putting up with the program's many flaws and quirks in order to book high-value award tickets with fewer points while saving on taxes and fees.
An 11% increase in transatlantic business class award fares might be worse, but the other increases are pretty bad too. We're still working out how long this loss in value will last, but it could hurt even more.
